Chelsea linked with £31 million move for German full-back

According to talkSPORT, Chelsea are ready to pay £31 million to bring Bayer Leverkusen full-back Benjamin Heinrichs to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The 21-year old made his debut for Leverkusen in 2015, and has since gone on to make 74 appearances for the club, establishing a reputation for himself as one of the best young defenders in Europe.

Chelsea have been monitoring Heinrich’s progress for some time, with Manchester rivals, City and United, also said to be watching him with interest. Heinrichs signed a contract extension last year, which included a £31 million release clause which the Blues are now ready to activate.

Having represented his country at under-19 and under-21 level, Heinrichs gained his first full international cap for Germany when he appeared for them in their 8 – 0 win over San Marino in November 2016. He has subsequently picked up two more caps, and is in fringe consideration for a place in their World Cup squad which will be announced shortly.

Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.